How to Spot a High-Performer in Roofing Before You Hire Them

Reece Whitfield, Director of roofing recruitment specialists, The Externals Group, shares how to spot a high-performing candidate before you hire them.

Reece Whitfield, Director of The Externals Group

The difference between a good hire and a great hire shows up fast in the roofing industry. High-performing individuals don’t just show up and do the job – they raise standards on site, drive productivity, and set the tone for the team. However, spotting those kinds of candidates before they go on site isn’t always easy.

So many applicants can talk the talk, but how do you know which ones will genuinely deliver long-term value to your business?

The reality is, high-performing people will reveal themselves early in the process, especially if you know what to look out for.

1. Consistent Work History

The best people often show up with a steady and reliable work history, even if they have moved between projects or companies.

You can tell a lot about someone’s mindset when it comes to their consistency. Given that staff turnover is high within the roofing industry, someone who’s maintained stable employment and long-term relationships with past employers usually shows reliability and pride in their work. It also signals a good reputation that others value.

This doesn’t mean they’ve stayed with one company for 10 years, but it does mean they’ve consistently shown up, delivered results, and left previous positions on good terms. Look for candidates who can clearly explain their career path and demonstrate growth, rather than those who’ve jumped between companies without clear progression or legitimate reasons like project completion.

Always remember: when you hire someone with a consistent track record, you’re not just hiring a project manager or an estimator – you’re hiring stability within your business. They turn up on time, take accountability, and help establish continuity. They also reduce delays in your projects, support your senior staff, and establish trust across your business.

If you ignore work history patterns, it can lead to underlying problems. Just because someone has a flashy resume, doesn’t mean that person doesn’t move on whenever things get tough or if they struggle to work under structured leadership. Those behaviours will often resurface under pressure, which will in turn lead to missed deadlines, rework, and avoidable turnover in staff.

2. Strong Safety Record

Top candidates will always make safety a priority, not because they have to, but because they understand and acknowledge it’s a part of doing the job right.

By nature, roofing is high risk. A candidate’s safety record will speak volumes about how they go about their business day-to-day. If they have few incidents or can confidently explain how they’ve handled safety issues in previous roles, they’re usually detail-oriented, disciplined, and self-aware.

Safety is about mindset, and not just about ticking boxes. A solid candidate will show genuine professionalism and treat safety as part of their own personal standard, rather than just something that the company enforces. They will care about their team, their work and the reputation of the company they work with.

Hiring someone with a strong safety record not only protects your team but also reduces liability and enhances your company’s reputation with clients. It also improves site morale, as teams naturally trust and follow those who lead by example.

It can be costly to overlook someone’s safety habits. Anyone careless in their approach can slow down projects, increase insurance claims, and spread negativity across your workforce. By prioritising safety when hiring, you save yourself future headaches and help build a culture that keeps people coming back to work every day.

3. Problem-Solving Under Pressure

The top candidates will stay calm and focus on solutions when things go wrong, and in roofing, things will go wrong at some point.

Almost every project in roofing has curveballs, whether it’s delays, material shortages, issues with scheduling, or unexpected damage. The way a candidate handles these challenges will reveal much more about their potential than any list of certifications ever could.

During interviews, ask them to give examples of times when they faced a project setback and how they overcame it. The top candidates won’t just describe the problem – they’ll walk you through exactly what they did to adapt, how they communicated, and ultimately got the job done.

People who are problem solvers will reduce downtime, protect profit margins, and often find better and faster ways to get things done. They’re more often than not natural leaders. The kind who will make decisions with confidence and keep things moving forward rather than getting caught up in frustration.

By overlooking someone’s ability to solve problems, you run the risk of hiring someone who crumbles under pressure or constantly needs to be supervised. Those hires often drain management time and slow progress, which can pull down the overall team’s performance.

Hiring these people means you’re investing in resilience, and these kinds of people will keep projects on track even when the conditions aren’t the best.

The Cost of Getting It Wrong

There’s nothing more costly than a bad hire, and in roofing, these costs can multiply fast. Bad hires mean you’ve wasted time on training, increased rework, safety incidents, and higher turnover. And even worse, they can damage your company’s reputation when it comes to clients and other possible top-quality candidates.

The good thing is, most hiring mistakes can be prevented by focusing less on what’s on their resume, and more on what the candidate’s track record truly shows.

Wrap Up

Each of these traits – consistency, safety, and problem-solving – tells you everything you need to know. All together, they help you paint a clear picture of how someone will perform once you bring them onboard.

By hiring people who show these qualities, you’re strengthening the foundation of your company, not just filling a vacancy. You’re reducing risk, improving team performance, and creating a culture where reliability and quality are the norm.

Top performers in the roofing industry don’t just bring skills – they bring consistency, accountability, and a mindset that raises everyone around them.

Next time you hire, look beyond job titles and certificates. Make sure you ask the right questions by checking references properly and pay attention to the patterns that matter most.

When you clock a true high performer early in the process, you’re not just adding a great member of staff to your team – you’re investing in the long-term success of your business and every project that follows.

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